Nigerian filmmaker Funke Akindele and film director Tunde Olaoye have emerged as the top-performing Nollywood directors at the Nigerian box office in 2025, according to data from StatiSense, a Nigerian and African data and visualisation company. Their films generated a combined ₦1.320 billion, placing them at the top of the ranking. This achievement is based on data from the Nigeria Box Office Yearbook, which tracks the performance of films released in the country.
StatiSense disclosed the ranking in a tweet on its X page on Wednesday. The company also revealed that the top 10 directors were attached to films that collectively generated at least ₦5.97 billion at the Nigerian box office in 2025. Other notable directors in the top 10 include Adebayo Tijani, who ranked second with films that grossed ₦1.159 billion, and Tope Adebayo, who ranked third with ₦852 million.
Funke Akindele had a remarkable year in 2025, with several notable projects. One of her notable projects was “Behind the Scenes”, which she produced and released theatrically on 12 December. The drama follows Aderonke Faniran, a real estate entrepreneur portrayed by Scarlet Gomez, and enjoyed a remarkable box-office run. Akindele also produced “Finding Me”, a film that examines love, personal growth and the challenge of maintaining balance.
Akindele’s achievement further extends her remarkable box-office streak. In 2023, “Battle on Buka Street” became Nollywood’s highest-grossing film after earning ₦640 million locally, while it also recorded more than $61,000 from cinema screenings in the United States. Her winning run continued in 2024 when “A Tribe Called Judah” crossed ₦1 billion at the box office.
Tunde Olaoye directed “Singleness Is Bliss”, which was produced by Fisayo Ajisola-Borokinni. Other directors in the top 10 also had notable projects in 2025. Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi, who ranked fifth, has directed films including “Oversabi Aunty”, “Street Genius” and “Monetised Marriage”. Daniel Etim Effiong made his directorial debut with the crime thriller “The Herd”, which opened in cinemas across the country on 17 October 2025.
The top 10 directors also include Muyiwa Ademola, who occupied the seventh position with ₦419 million, and Biodun Stephen, who ranked eighth with ₦341 million. Adeoluwa Owu, a film director and cinematographer, came ninth with ₦248 million, while Daniel Etim Effiong ranked tenth with ₦193 million.
In January, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Akindele’s “Behind the Scenes” had crossed the ₦2 billion mark at the box office, making it the first Nollywood production to reach the milestone. Other films, such as “Everybody Loves Jenifa”, surpassed ₦1.88 billion and set a new West African box-office record.
Key points
- Funke Akindele and Tunde Olaoye top the Nollywood box office chart with ₦1.32 billion.
- The top 10 directors collectively generated at least ₦5.97 billion at the Nigerian box office in 2025.
- Akindele’s film “Behind the Scenes” crossed the ₦2 billion mark at the box office.
